Bring the Heat

This morning has been so slow at work and tomorrow will be even slower. I woke up cold once again. Last night I had a maintenance guy come out and we found out the problem. Unfortunately, he had to pick up a part before he could fix it. But I must say that I am very excited to know that we will be getting heat soon enough. Some of these days have been so uncomfortable.

I worked from the Baltimore office yesterday and even drove by Tronster early in the morning. It was very cool to see a familiar face before work. This office has an atmosphere that is quite different from the one I usually work at. I grabbed my coffee and was headed to my desk. "Oh, you can't drink that without a lid!" replied one person. The office was so quiet all day. I'm glad that my current office is a little more lively.

Afterwards, I headed to the Sprint Store. I finally bought a new phone. My old phone was years old and just started to frustrate me. I came close to tossing it out the window on more than one occasion. Sprint really hooked me up on a great deal and I receive the phone for FREE, well after the rebate. The phone is not only a camera phone, it's best feature is the internal AM/FM Radio. I must say that I have been loving it! The reception is incredible and here at work today, it is the only thing keeping me sane. The only downside was the fact that my old phone was so old they couldn't swap the telephone directory. I had to manually enter two hundred and forty entries.

So I am leaving work a little early to meet up with the repair man. After tonight I will finally have heat. My roommates will be so happy, as will I.

"Walking the Plank"

Last night after work I headed to "Java Mammas" to have the match. Chess is a game that I played only a little growing up, but enjoy any chance for competition. Last night Lydia and I met to have the highly anticipated chess match. There was a lot of trash talking prior to this game.

I ended up getting to "Java Mammas" early and ran into Chase from Owings Mills Horizon. We had a good conversation about relationships/friendships in general. Conversations like these make me realize that the idea of more guy fellowship is something that the community needs.

Lydia then showed up and it was on! I think she was slightly scared.(yeah right!) I must say it was an intense game. We played for at least an hour and only had three of each other's pieces.
I ended up making some strong moves but in the end Queen Lydia prevailed. As the match neared its end, she redefined the word, "Zugzwang" or "Walking the Plank." I did enjoy the competitive game, and it was surely that.

It's strange, afterwards we chatted and I realized something later. I find that opening up and letting others know about my past can be like walking the plank. I find it hard to open up and let certain people know my skeletons. Can you relate? I guess if I think that the other person can't relate, then I feel that they may think less of me or judge me for some of the mistakes i've made. I don't know why this is. Even people I have become close too, I still feel reluctant to open up to my past. I wonder if this is a bad thing? I don't feel it is necessary to let everyone know where you have come from, but I do feel that I need to open up more to some. My past shouldn't be mystery. It is a testament to what I have overcome and grown from. This is something I want to work on so others may learn to understand me better. We'll see...

Holiday Times

These past few days have been full of great times and definitely had events that will be great memories for years to come.

I traveled to Salisbury Thursday night. I made it there without much trouble. That night I spent time with my brother and family. It was a great time to just catch up and talk about what's new.

Friday was Christmas eve and I still hadn't gotten a single gift! I got up early that morning and headed to my first shopping destination. It was madness. See there are only a couple places for people to shop at in Salisbury. I made good time and really got most my shopping done in a couple hours. So my father and I grabbed a bite to eat and talked about things in my life and I had a chance to talk about what was going on with him. It was great father-son time. We got home and found the Christmas tree on the floor! The cat (Max) had a thing for one of the rotating bulbs. The cat must have jumped into the tree and pulled it to the ground. This was a first in all my years of experiencing Christmas at the Banks house. I found it quite hilarious, my mother's opinion was quite different. Later that night the family was to meet at our grandfather's house for the traditional gift exchange and dinner. The whole night the family was cracking jokes back and forth. It was a great night to have the family together and laugh. We had a family picture taken, which I will post later.

Saturday was the big day, Christmas. We always have a nice Christmas breakfast and then talk. This Christmas, the family had the breakfast but got together later in the day to have the gift exchange. As a kid this would have been hard, but now I am not as eager to open presents. I just enjoy giving and being with my family. Later that night, my brother, his wife, my cousin, and a friend of his had some prayer time. On my way to Salisbury, I thought it would be great to get together and pray. This was such an awesome experience. Gus(my cousin) had a friend that is a single mother that opened up her house. It was refreshing to not only praise and pray to our Lord on his birthday, but to do this with my family. This was something I have never experienced. My cousin is new to all of this and is so hungry for God. Seeing people at this stage just revives me.
This was a very intimate time as we all were vulnerable. My sister-in-law really enjoyed it and we have decided to pray every time I come down. This makes me smile.

Sunday, I was up bright and early to hit the road back home. I made it back just in time for service. And I am so glad that I did not miss this service. The worship time was really special.
The sermon reflected on what had happened to each of us in the past year. It is great to reflect back and remember the good and the bad. This is how we can grow. I like the fact that Mark stated to leave it there. The past is the past and let's makes this upcoming year even greater.
This past year has been an amazing year. It's been almost exactly one year since I started coming to Horizon. I feel blessed to have met and grown with so many amazing individuals. Everyday I am meeting new, or learning more and more about those that are around me. I cherish the fact that this community is able to open up to one another. Again, I feel so blessed, for the people around me have helped make who I am.

"Icicles"

Wow...it has been cold out! Monday morning it registered eight degrees fahrenheit. Today, things are warming up, but would you say thirty degrees is warm? Over all getting used to the cold weather will take some time. I prefer the spring!

Lately, I have been noticing that my thermostat in the house hasn't been working well. And last night I realized that the heat just wasn't working! The temperature in the house got down lower than the thermostat. It was freezing! Paul ended up going over to Tronster's to sleep. I believe the pilot light has blown out. I must fix this soon, or if anyone needs to keep any perishables cool, bring them over!

As the days are going by and the holiday is nearing, my excitement is getting greater. I feel as though it's been too long since I spent quality time with my family. It should be a great time.
I hear that the weather is just as cold or colder than it is here, so I better bring the gloves and hat. One great outlook on the cold weather is that we may not only have icicles this Christmas, but snow! Let's cross our fingers for that "White Christmas!"

Coffee = Wake up call

So far work has been superior. Things are totally coming into place. I haven't slept well lately but my early morning coffee has been my boost. The coffee at the office is pretty disgusting, so I doc it up with one packet of coco. Not too shabby.

Monday after work I ended up going to a happy hour with a vendor. I ended my alcohol free run. I was pretty disappointed but what can you do? I just ask for strength for when I am tempted again. Later that night I met with Dave and Jenn to go over ideas for Link Group. I better get thick skin quick... We all were so tired. A cup of coffee was the only fuel to get us through it.

Link group went pretty well I guess, it's weird when you are on the other side of things. That night I became aware of my constant outbursts and usages of the word, "dude!" I have a ton keeping me accountable. I will stop! Haha that sounds so corny! If I can defeat cursing I can beat this stupid semantical spatting. Afterwards, a bunch of us went to shoot pool afterwards. I must say that was pretty darn cool. I hope the LG does more things like this. It's a great time to get to know one another. I also must say that some of those guys can shoot some pool! Impressive stuff.

Last night I had another happy hour with another vendor. I hope these don't become a typical event for me. I also again had a couple drinks. Man... I only had two, but those two tasted so...good...(the feeling, not just taste) This makes my decision to drop this habit altogether easier. I just need to hold my place and do it. I pray.

I have found a better route to get home and the commute is getting quicker and easier.
I said it in link group... Praise him... My life is starting to really take a different form in such a great way.

The Weekend

After a great week of work, I ended up having an equally pleasant weekend. It consisted of tons of soccer, more Karaoke revelation, some poker madness, a great sermon, and one heck of a birthday party.

Friday night was "Horizon's" third game. We did end up losing, but overall we seemed to have more confidence as a team. Again, it's going to take some time. One funny moment happened when I got turned around and fired a shot on my own goal. Thankfully, Matt was able to put a hand on it. Of course my reason was to keep him awake. *wink* The fan base came out again to support. I find that to be just great, especially knowing the teams capabilities. They came out with creativity and brought some cool signs. Thanks to the bunch! Afterwards, Tali, Lydia, and myself ventured back to the Lydia's. We all talked and had some fun with Karaoke Revelation. Tali rocked the house. We put it on random the whole time, so we did get some interesting selections. I had to recite, Madonna's "Like a Virgin." Let's say I was not to excited about it. HAHA... It was a very fun time though.

Saturday I headed to Java Mamma's early on. I got the most amazing cup of coffee. I love that place! I ended up cleaning up that day to prepare for the poker night. Poker rocked! Tali, Royer, Paul, and myself went head to head. I ended up being the chip winner, but overall the three hours of time was full of fun. I think everyone left feeling like they won. We are going to do this more.

This morning at church was a little different. I usually always help set up but after a few of us got together to pray for the church and the people within. I thought it was a great idea and look forward to keep this going. Prayer is such an amazing thing. The sermon was great and afterwards we all received two dollar bills. I think I liked the note better than I money. It will be interesting how I choose to spend it. After the service and the food court, I headed to the geek house to take a two hour nap. Then it was off to Meagan's birthday party. It was so cool to see the interactions and Meagan on HER day. Meagan is truly an amazing girl and has a great heart for God and others. I hope she has a most blessed year. Then I was off to the next soccer game.

Tonight was the last playoff game of this season. Our opponent has beat us by one goal each of the last meetings. So we all were pumped as for many it was their last game. Not all are returning for the following season. We played very well as a team tonight and won in dramatic fashion. With twenty seconds left in the game our star player made one move and had his chance. One fake move to the right was enough to stun the goalie as the ball hit the back of the net. Wow, our best win yet! It was a very rewarding victory.

Working Hard

Wow what a week! My week has consisted mostly of work, a link group, and the Christmas party. I have to say that this first week of work has been great. The commute is far from pleasant, but the job rocks. I am already working some magic over here. The only thing I am slowly getting used too is the fact that I am up so early in the morning.

Link group on Wednesday wasn't bad. Since I am now coming straight from work, I had some comments on my outfit and my precious shoes. :-) I'll wear my second pair next week! The topic was on expectations and had some good moments. The group is becoming more consistent as to who is coming. I really enjoy the dynamic of the group.

Last night Horizon had it's Christmas party. I showed up a little later, but just in time for some of the grub. It was so cool to see so many make it out and I could feel a sense of family within the community. It was great to see many enjoy the dancing and have fun with the auction. I am stoked about brainstorming some ideas of what Clay is going to paint for me. Should be fun for both. Tali and I were on the verge of beating the infamous chess master, but time was our enemy. We will get her next time. She was scared, I know it! :-)

Tonight is our Soccer team's third soccer game. It is always a guessing game to how the game is going to go. It just depends on who we are playing. There is such a mix of talent within the league. Some of the teams are just potent, while others are on our level. We are learning to play as a team and I expect quick progress with the people we have. I look forward to it! Go Horizon!

First Day

Today was officially my first day of my new job. After an awesome weekend and vacation, it was challenging to wake for work this morning. I ended up over sleeping by fifteen minutes and had to shave and shower real fast as I was on the road by the wee hours of the morning.

As I got to the office a feeling of excitement hit me. I felt as though I was starting a new adventure. I called my mother early to have my birth certificate faxed over. It was nice to chat, I would love to start talking more frequently with her. Well, the day involved a team meeting where I introduced myself and we were all strategizing on how we could take market share. Some great ideas were brought up and I was jumping in the whole time. Everyone said that this had been one of the most productive meetings in a while. It is a great feeling to hear things like this on your first day. Then I had lunch with my boss and some colleagues. We again through out some ideas. The team is ready to rock! Most of rest of the day I was contacting some of my old clients and letting them know where I have ended up. My boss seems to be very flexible. I truly have a great feeling about this move. I am looking forward to tomorrow, wow, don't remember last time I said that when relating to work.

Overall what a great start and great first day, I feel so blessed that my Lord has provided. I pray as before that I can shine to those around me.

Last Day

Today was a great last weekday of vacation. I ended up meeting Dave R for coffee. I've never been to "Patterson Perk", but they had some pretty good java. Great conversation and very informative. I do think some of the periodicals were a little too liberal for me, if you know what I mean.

After running a few more errands and relaxing, it was off to the Horizon soccer teams second soccer game. We again had great support. It's great to have people there cheering or laughing at you. No, seriously it's great. The team stepped it up this game and we played some impressive defense and were able to push forward much more as a team. We actually had some great looks on offense. We can't complain and have to take the 5-2 loss as a personal victory. Things are looking up! Great game guys! I look forward to next weeks game.

Afterwards, a few of us went to "Friendly's" for some icecream and food. I can't remember the last time I was there. We all had realized that the prices have gone up. Either way it was nice to chat and laugh together.

"Sniffles"

I don't know how I managed to catch a cold the last couple days of my vacation, but it happened. I have been ingesting Nyquil and Dayquil like no ones business. Last night and today have been the worse. I only hope that I am over this soon so I can enjoy the weekend, and get more sleep!

Yesterday, Tronster and I met for lunch at "Ding How." Tronster talked me into getting the Kung Pao chicken. I did not realize it had peanuts and water crescents. Oh well, the company and conversation was great. You definitely can't beat the price!

Last night's Link Group wasn't bad. We talked about the idea of getting angry at God. Is this ok? Can we, or should we? It was nice to see some faces that haven't been around in a while. I hope the group continues to flourish and continues to maintain it's purpose.

Today, Mark and I had lunch at a little place in Randallstown. Mark was stuffed and it only cost us nine dollars for the two of us. I enjoy talking and hearing about what is upcoming for Horizon. Meetings like these help me not only get to know the leaders better, but also better allow me to understand how Horizon works behind the scenes.

Not much else is going today, except for the fact that I was schooled at some online chess. I'll get revenge. You know who you are!